Take-Home Sparring Partner

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for fun, exercise and enhancement of human reflexes and brain-eye coordination that comprises a vertical shaft with a protruding member on its top holding a rubber ball by a string and up and down adjustable 1″ thick×8″ wide×12″ long board positioned at eye level such board surface is designed in high irregular relief; the participant pitches the ball against it which bounces back erratically towards body&#39;s different spots which the participant cannot guess, he or she blocks or tries to block the ball; with regular practice the user will develop reflex abilities.

A play and exercise apparatus for fun and for the improvement of a person's natural reflexes in general (FIG. 1) is presented, inspired by the fact that quick reflexes are useful for practicing sports and in every day's life needs; this invention comprises a preferable vertical height adjustable shaft (1 FIG. 1) mounted on a stand (2 FIG. 1) with a protruding flexible or rigid member (3 FIG. 1) on the top holding a rubber ball (4 FIG. 1) by means of a partially elastic string (5 FIG. 1) and one or several boards (6 FIG. 1), fixed on the selected position along the shaft depending on the player's preferences, mainly due to her or his height.

The bounce board structure, may measure approximately 1″ thick×8″ wide 12″ long (6 FIG. 1) and casted, molded or carved in a rather heavy material, It could also be hollow so that it can be filled with water, sand or anything that could supply the appropriate weight in order to yield a sound ball bounce when hit against. One example of the many different board designs possible is the one that consists of horizontal groves of varied angles from top to bottom of the bounce board wherein angles range from 15° to 20° (7 FIG. 2) to indicate average bounce board angles.

First the participant put over his or her eyes a pair of clear protective eyeglasses, moves and secures the bouncing boards along the shaft by provided means, being the eye level the preferred position, stands in front the boards and the ball, which hangs approximately in front of the genital area of the user, pitches the ball against the board or boards and when it bounces back to erratic directions due to the specially designed relief, she tries to catch, block with arms or legs, moves out of its way, lower down or jump to avoid getting hit by the ball. This unpredictable bounces of the ball resembles the way a real sparring partner would try to do, making it very difficult for the practitioner to guess where the ball will try to hit.

In case the practitioner wants to train for a boxing match it is recommended to fix the bounce board with the center at eye level since it is a common practice to keep looking at the eyes of the opponent because often their eyesight give the boxer a hint of his or her intentions. When the ball pitched by a practitioner hits anywhere on the board there are close to equal chances for it to bounce back to anywhere from the top of the head of the practitioner to the genital area, due that the diverse and precise angles the ball bounces back towards the upper top of the head (not too far over it) and not too low or towards the floor.

When throwing the ball it almost always bounces back directed towards the top of the head to the genital area in a surprise manner, this surprise factor forces the reflex system to get enhanced. The participant, also, out of instinct, tries to block the bounces coming back directed towards the outside of the regular zone and also she or he boosts reflexes catching or trying to catch the ball when it dances about after each pitch before it is caught.

Depending on the bounce board position selected, type of ball, speed of the pitch, the practitioner's own reflex abilities, her or his distance from the bounce board and the frequency and intensity of the training or playing sessions is the particular ability of this invention to be effective on developing the participant's brain and body responses and overall reflexes. The person using this invention may also change the bouncing effect by pitching the ball from different angles and speeds or standing further or closer relative to the apparatus.

Within a short period of time this practice will develop any user's eye, brain, and body coordination which amount to overall enhanced reflexes, being this the main purpose of the present invention.

Mankind needs to use its reflexes in every day's life and in sports such as martial arts, soccer, baseball, tennis, basketball, as well as riding a bicycle, using ladders, driving a car and so on. The performer may also maintain his or herself jumping to make it aerobic, thus increasing caloric burning and developing muscles corresponding to the lower part of the body.

Due that the bouncing boards can be adjusted to variable heights this devise is suitable for tall or short people such as children. Several of different hardness balls may be provided for diverse effects and speeds, for example a hard high bounce ball may produce some pain should it hit the practitioner, thus, it is a great stimulant for the reflex system to get sharper every time, on every practice session. Any bouncing board may easily be removed from the apparatus to be put on the floor, table, bed or the like (FIG. 3) hanged on the wall or door or fixed by provided means on the back of a chair for example, so that the user can have more options to train.

Another options for the boards are revolving rigid cubes containing variable bouncing effects on each one of its 4 sides that are mounted about the shaft, containing variable bouncing effects on each of its four sides.

An extra benefit of this devise is that should an athlete or athlete candidate wants to hire an actual sparring partner he or she is bound to save lots of money because by training with this apparatus the training sessions and lengths would be dramatically decreased.

The Take-Home Sparring Partner may also be manufactured at large scale in order to suit the preferences of particular sports practitioners like baseball, soccer and many more on which the ball could come from far away, contrary to the way it happens on a boxing match on which such situation the opponent's punches come from very close.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF EACH DRAWING

FIG. 1

A whole assembled apparatus to be placed on a preferably flat surface such as a floor ready to have the ball thrown against with the purpose of enhancing the practitioner's overall reflexes.

FIG. 2

An example of one of the several possible designs of a bounce board showing the right angles (7 FIG. 2) of its relief structure which range from 15° to 20°.

FIG. 3

Shows a design of a bounce board to be placed over a flat surface such as a table, kitchen counter, car's trunk or hood, chest of drawers and etcetera.

FIG. 4

A design for clamping on a chair back, big garbage can, drawer or anything with the desired height and space for practicing or playing with the purpose of reflex enhancement. 

1. A stand comprising a rod with an up anti down adjustable and removable hard board on the top a protruding arm holding a hanging ball through an elastic string is provided, the board front has an irregular high relief designed in such a way that when a practitioner pitches the ball against it. Such ball bounces back towards erratic directions making it difficult for the user to avoid getting hit by it with the goal that with regular practice the user has his or her reflexes get enhanced.
 2. A stand comprising a rod as claimed in claim 1, further including an extra up and down adjustable 4 sided square structure each side containing different designed high relief for varied bouncing effects.
 3. A stand comprising a rod as claimed in claim 2 wherein an extra up and down adjustable bounce board is positioned on the lower section of the shaft for leg training.
 4. A stand comprising a rod as claimed in claim 3 further including a clamp with adjustable swivel mechanism on the back to be removed from the shaft and clamped on a suitable place, such as a door or chair back for training.
 5. A stand comprising a rod as claimed in claim 4, additionally including a bounce board with a foldable system on the back to be removed from the shack and placed on any adequate surface as a table or bed for playing or exercising. 